Louvre Abu Dhabi is located on the city’s cultural district of Saadiyat Island. With approximately 8,000 sqm of galleries, it is the largest art museum in the Gulf region. Although the project has been a work in progress for 10 years, the museum opened its doors officially on 11th November 2017, and residents couldn’t wait to visit the museum on the sea.

Designed by award winning architect, Jean Nouvel to fit into the country’s heritage, the museum currently displays 620 masterpieces, including 300 items on loan from France and the US. Spread across 23 galleries, the works of art are categorized into 12 chapters documenting a historical era from the first villages until today’s modernism.

Here are 5 impressive facts you may not have known:

7,850 stars form the dome’s 8 layers of cladding

The star-patterned dome, allows the sun to filter through, in the same effect that sunlight trickles through a date palm in the oasis

The entire dome weighs 7, 500 tonnes (almost as much as the Eiffel Tower)

There is an underground service tunnel which connects all of Saadiyat’s Museums and is over 1 km long

The Universal Religion gallery showcases the Bible, Quran, and Torah next to each other

The museum puts on several exhibitions and special events throughout the year so it is worth keeping up with their news. With 2 cafes on site, visitors can spend up to 3 hours wandering through the displays as they pass through the 12 chapters. Take note of the pre-function space where the museum beautifully displays how civilization was always connected despite being spread across the globe through different time periods, and with no communication.